A jet flight with GM's ex-chief, Bob Lutz

Top Gear's mag boss is taken for a spin by a true captain of the industry...

When he's in action, Bob stops being 79. There's an aura of competence about the man that it's hard to define - the ambient knowledge that here is a man that will Get Things Done.

Go historical, and you find out that Bob is one serious player. Following a five-year career as a low-level, fast-jet pilot in the US Marine Corps (a particular CV highlight if you find yourself sat behind the man at the end of a runway) Bob started his 48-year automotive career working for GM in 1963. In 1971, he moved across to BMW as Executive Vice President of global sales and marketing, before moving to Ford in 1974 for a 12-year stint in which he became Chairman of Ford of Europe. In 1986, he moved to Chrysler as Executive Vice President, and then, back in '98, he left Chrysler to join Exide Batteries as CEO, completing the circle by returning to GM in 2001.

In short, in the US car industry, he's literally been there, done that.